Join bestselling Australian storyteller William McInnes as he reflects on Australia's way of life and gives us his own take on our colourful and colloquial way with words. Whether we are bunging it on or behaving like a drongo, Australians have a turn of phrase for every situation that helps us.

Our lingo helps us through life's landmark occasions. It's there in our fatalistic humour at moments of drama or heartbreak. It's there when we cut through the media hype, call out self-important BS or reflect on the ways our sporting heroes behave both on and off the field. And it's also there in the quiet conversations we have with ourselves. We use it to mark the ups and downs of our friendships and to navigate our relationships with our kids and families. Our love of plain speaking, of calling a spade a bloody shovel, communicates the essence of the thing to our mates, to those in the know - and to those at the top who should know better.

Part memoir, part manifesto, this warm, witty, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny collection will have you thinking about what you say, how you say it and what that really says about us as a nation.

Praise for the writing of William McInnes

'Warm and engaging . . . feels a little bit like home' Daily Telegraph

'If there is a quintessence of Australia at its best, William McInnes has distilled it' The Age

'Warm, nostalgic, funny and undeniably Australian' Sydney Morning Herald